The longitudinal relationships of problematic social media use, self-transcendence values and school adaptation: a two-wave study.
BMC Psychology January 24, 2025 Ting Li, Jiaqiong Xie, Yanjie Shan et al.
Problematic social media use (PSMU), self-transcendence values, and school adaptation mutually influence each other over time among college students. In a two-wave longitudinal study of 2,668 students, each factor predicted changes in the other two six months later: PSMU predicted lower self-transcendence values and poorer school adaptation; self-transcendence values predicted less PSMU and better school adaptation; and school adaptation predicted greater self-transcendence values and less PSMU. Each variable also served as a mediator in the relationships between the other two. These bidirectional links support and extend Self-worth Theory and Self-determination Theory, suggesting that fostering self-transcendence values and school adaptation may help reduce problematic social media use.